Please help!

[jmcobretti]

Thanks alot for all your help guys! I went with atoms v2 and they sound excellent! My question is How do I set my speakers to "large" and still maintain my sub. I'm using a Marantz sr6200, and every time I turn direct source on it cuts my sub out. For home theater, to get my sub to run, all my other speakers have to be set to small. But for music I'd like my towers and my sub to run simultaneously, any ideas? Is it just something my reciever won't let me do?

[Mr Peabody]

I'm not familar with that receiver's ser up menu but if your sub is hooked to the "LFE" or sub out, it should work for HT even if all speakers are large. It may not work all the time, it should just work when there is program material ".1" of 5.1 in the movie soundtrack.

[jmcobretti]

Thanks Peabody, but what about stereo mode? I'd like my sub to fill out low freq. The drivers in my towers are only 8". It seems that I get nothing through my sub with speakers set to "large". If I have them set to "small" reciever uses sub for bass management. Does that make sense?

[Mr Peabody]

Yes, that makes sense, what happens when you set the speakers to "small" is telling the receiver that your speakers can't handle low bass, the crossover should be adjustable, and it sends "normal" bass program to your sub to ease the burden on your speakers. When speakers are set to "large" the receiver figures your speakers can do the "normal" bass for themselves and only sends LFE from movies .1 track to the sub.

I'm not sure what your receiver can do for music. Did you check the manual? You may be able to have separate settings for music and movies. An 8" woofer should be giving decent bass for music unless you like it to sound like a car stereo, a positioning problem, or power to drive them, or not so hot speakers. What speakers do you have?

If the receiver lacks flexibility to give you sub for music you can set your receiver to "no sub" and use a Y adapter at your main speaker preamp outs, with one leg back into the receiver and the other to the sub. This way the sub will always be working and setting the receiver to "no sub" will assure you don't miss any programming from the movie soundtrack.

[Feanor]

Thanks alot for all your help guys! I went with atoms v2 and they sound excellent! My question is How do I set my speakers to "large" and still maintain my sub. I'm using a Marantz sr6200, and every time I turn direct source on it cuts my sub out. For home theater, to get my sub to run, all my other speakers have to be set to small. But for music I'd like my towers and my sub to run simultaneously, any ideas? Is it just something my reciever won't let me do?

I think that's your problem, viz. setting to "direct source", (assuming that's your actual setting and your receiver works as most do).

The "Direct" setting by-passes all DSP which means that the "Large" and "Small" settings are both irrelevant. In fact the only thing that will get to your sub is what comes in via the "Sub" analog input. In the case of a stereo source, that will be nothing.

[hermanv]

There may not be a universal answer for your setup. For ordinary stereo a sub is connected either to the pre inputs or to the right/left speaker outputs, then internal processing circuitry in the sub sends the correct signal to each of the three speakers (right, left and sub).

For home theater, the LFE channel is used, depending on the processing in your brand of receiver Mr P might be right that only the .1 part of the 5.1 goes to the sub.

The best compromise is probably setting it up for ordinary stereo and letting the sub process the LFE, set your receiver to large. Follow the sub instruction manual.

[jmcobretti]

Just to make sure I get it, take an rca y adapter from right and left and run that to my sub and let the crossover in the sub do the work. Set all my speakers to large. Leave it that way for HT and music. I'm running a pair or Paradigm 9's, a cc350 and atom v2's from a Marantz sr6200.

[tony_abreu]

Before you do this, I would strongly recommend you to call "Marantz" or to go to their web site and ask for help for this particular AVR model. I had the same problem with my Denon AVR 2808CI. After fumbling, playing with controls and reading the manual severl time, I got it to work. To be honest, I don't even remmember exactly what I did. But it could be done.

Regards,
Tony

[hermanv]

Just to make sure I get it, take an rca y adapter from right and left and run that to my sub and let the crossover in the sub do the work. Set all my speakers to large. Leave it that way for HT and music. I'm running a pair or Paradigm 9's, a cc350 and atom v2's from a Marantz sr6200.The RCA "Y" adapter will short left and right channels, this is not what you want. Some subs are set up to do this on the low level signals (i.e. pre-amp in and out) others are set to do this on the actual wires going to the left and right speakers.

I assume(!!) that your sub has both left and right inputs and outputs. Typically internal circuits add these two and extract bass for the sub while simultaneously subtracting the spectrum the sub covers from the left right inputs.

Since you'll only do this once and it will presumably stay that way for years, it's worth reading the sub and HT receiver manuals carefully. This problem has been solved before and that detail should be in the manuals somewhere.

[Feanor]

Just to make sure I get it, take an rca y adapter from right and left and run that to my sub and let the crossover in the sub do the work. Set all my speakers to large. Leave it that way for HT and music. I'm running a pair or Paradigm 9's, a cc350 and atom v2's from a Marantz sr6200.

When you say, "take an rca y adapter from right and left", do you mean from Preamp Outs on your receiver? As you were cautioned, don't put a Y adaptor joining the L & R output because this will short them with possibly diasterous results, (depending on the amp design).

What does your sub have in the way of line level, (RCA), inputs? Does it have only one, (LFE),? Or does it have two, (left & right)? If it has two, then no prob: just run cables from your left & right preamp outs to the the sub inputs. Likely you will get the best results by setting your sub low-pass filter to a fairly low setting, e.g. 50 Hz, to avoid duplicating your main speakers bass output.

As also mentioned, it is always good advice to carefully read you user manual; ("RYFM" :D as they say). For one thing, you might try the non-"Direct" setting for your CD input; in the case likely bass signal will be routed to your sub. On some receivers to do this you will need to specify that you CD input is digital rather than analog and, of course, connect your CD player to the receiver via a digital coaxial or optical cable.

[jmcobretti]

Thanks for your help folks! My sub is a Paradigm pdr12 with only one rca input, and I don't have the manual anymore. My cd and dvd player is my 360 which is digital through an optical cable. Would I be better off running my sattelites from the outputs on my sub or directly from the reciever? Also, is low frequency bass split from the studio into left and right? If I ran rca from say left channel to sub would I lose valuable low freq information from my right? And if I did that and didn't use the sub output from reciever would I lose the ".1" in home theater?

[StevenSurprenant]

As I see it, you have two options...

1) Connect the sub via one of the pre-amp outputs. (Left or right)

Bass at these lower frequencies usually are directed to both speakers and you will probably (in most instances) not be able tell the difference.

2) Connect wires from both speakers to the high level inputs on the sub.

That way, whichever speaker is producing the bass the sub will receive it.

Since I don't know your system I would have to guess that either option would work fine.

My only concern would be if you crossed your sub over at a high frequency then one channel will sound a bit thin using option 1.

Option 2 does not suffer that problem.

[IBSTORMIN]

I think that's your problem, viz. setting to "direct source", (assuming that's your actual setting and your receiver works as most do).

The "Direct" setting by-passes all DSP which means that the "Large" and "Small" settings are both irrelevant. In fact the only thing that will get to your sub is what comes in via the "Sub" analog input. In the case of a stereo source, that will be nothing.

If your receiver is like most, you cannot be in "Direct" mode, as Feanor says, if you want the sub to work with two channels. Onkyo calls the mode that turns on the sub their "Stereo" mode and Marantz should have something similar, even if it's not called stereo. This should solve all your problems. You sacrifice the cleaner signal of "Direct" but can use the Sub when in "Stereo" mode. I switch between these two modes depending on what the music is, some music sounds better with more bass, other sounds better with a cleaner sound and no sub.

[markw]

I can understand that your sub has only one line level input. I can accept that.

But, it also has both right and left speaker level inputs and outputs? ...strange combination.

If it does have the R/L speaker inputs/outputs, as Steve suggested, I'd run it off them, set the speakers to "large", the sub to "off", and be done with it.

If you want the speakers to run full range instead of letting the sub filter out the lows, just connect the sub in parallel to the mains. It's crossover/power amp will provide a high enough impedance at the frequencies within which it operates that it will not pose a problem with your system.

You may find, however, that you will want to adjust it's level depending on wether you're listening to music or movies.

[Feanor]

As I see it, you have two options...

1) Connect the sub via one of the pre-amp outputs. (Left or right)

Bass at these lower frequencies usually are directed to both speakers and you will probably (in most instances) not be able tell the difference.

2) Connect wires from both speakers to the high level inputs on the sub.

....

I would go option 3, that is, set up the receiver to use the digital output of your CDP, and don't use the "Direct" option. That way -- presumably: read your manual -- the DSP will be operative and will route deep base to your subwoofer.

If your receiver doesn't route low bass from a stereo signal to the sub, then Option 2 as Steven stated.

As you'll understand no doubt, the digital in from you CDP will force the receiver to do DSP on the stereo signal, (at least DAC).

[bobsticks]

If your receiver is like most, you cannot be in "Direct" mode, as Feanor says, if you want the sub to work with two channels. Onkyo calls the mode that turns on the sub their "Stereo" mode and Marantz should have something similar, even if it's not called stereo. This should solve all your problems. You sacrifice the cleaner signal of "Direct" but can use the Sub when in "Stereo" mode. I switch between these two modes depending on what the music is, some music sounds better with more bass, other sounds better with a cleaner sound and no sub.


This is true.